Allergic to moisturiser - sounds trivial I know but getting desperate

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Since having a bad reaction to an insect bite a few years ago, my face goes dry and flaky when I try to moisturise. Sometimes I go red and blotchy with burning sensation, sometimes I use half a tub before I get a reaction. I have tried lots of different brands plus bio oil, almond oil and olive oil. Any ideas welcome as my skin looks awful.

How about opening a vitamin E capsule and using that oil?, if you get them from a healthfood shop they'll have less additives.. works wonders for me and i have very very sensitive skin.

I use a mix of 5% castor oil and 95% jojoba oil which is fine on my sensitive, eczema prone skin.

La Roche Posay is a range for hyper sensitive skin. Boots stock it. You coudl try that.

From my experience of eczema, though, your skin might be in a highlly reactive state, which it needs to be calmed down from. Is there any chance of using nothing, or seeing a GP?

Have you tried something more "medical" and less "cosmetic"? Aqueous cream, diprobase, epaderm.

Hi, thanks for messages so far. I have tried vitamin e capsules, but I found they did not seem to moisurise well. I have tried aqueous cream, diprobase and E45 all make my skin react. (I also tried aveeno products). I used two tubes of avene before reacting to it, so I am hoping to go back to it in a while. If I use nothing my skin just dries out and becomes dry and flaky. I had hoped to avoid visiting the doctors as it feels too frivolous. I will try the products suggested.

Have you tried the Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy moisturising cream? It has a slightly different formulation to the non baby version and worked a dream on DD although she had a slight reaction to the non baby version. We found it on Amazon and Ebay, not cheap but worth it for clear skin if it works for you.

I have this problem with some moisturisers. Have you tried Simple light moisturiser? Cheap too so worth a go!

I would personally avoid acqueous cream and anything with lanolin in it as both can be irritating to sensitive skin.

I too have very, very sensitive skin and can sometimes react straight away, sometimes after half a tub of moisuriser. I now use Eucerin moisturiser for dry skin, I buy it from Boots, it's in a tube and I think it costs me about £13. It's with the creams for dry skin like E45 etc and I'm on my third tube of this and no reaction so far and I use it every morning. Worth a try? Might be worth finding contact details for them, emailing them, explaining your predicament and asking if they do samples.

Also very good is Aveeno and they send samples out. I have lots of little tubes from them so if you can't get any from them, pm me and I'm happy to send you one. I carry them about in my handbag and use it more for my elbows and hands but have used it on my face with no problems.

Good luck, I know how frustrating this can be.

Thank you for all the tips. I will try contacting the manufacturers for samples. I know that some counters have been helpful and saved me money when I turn red and blotchy at the first application.
Also many thanks for not making me feel like a drama diva

I have tried the Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Cream & it's great but I find the Baby Soothing Relief Cream works better on my youngest. I get all my Aveeno Products from soft-skin.co.uk after getting stung once with duty & vat fees oh and the carriers handling fee. The service from soft-skin is the best I've had on-line. I think you can get samples too if you call in.

Not sure if you’re still looking for a solution as this thread is quite old, but my search led me here so figured there are still others looking for a solution.

One option I find great is The Ordinary’s 100% Plant Based Squalene. It’s literally one ingredient and lightweight enough to use on the face. It actually soaks into your skin unlike oils which often sit on the skin. It’s also under £6!

Another option is Avènes Tolerance Extreme Emulsion. It has only 7 ingredients and has special packaging allowing it to be preservative free. It’s a little pricy, however, if you take a look at the ingredients, you can see the Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion has the same exact ingredients. I buy this instead and use it as a moisturiser! You get much more product for a similar price. I don’t find it to be a great cleanser especially if you suffer from acne or oily skin. It might be better suited for those with rosacea or other dry skin conditions on their face.

escentual.com has an an Avène sale going on right now! (25/04/2020)